TATE BRITAIN selected Alvaro Barrington (b.1983) for the next Tate Britain Commission. The annual commission is a site-specific work presented in the grand neo-classical Duveen Galleries of the London museum. Exploring themes of “place and belonging,” Barrington’s installation opens May 26.
“We are thrilled that Alvaro Barrington is taking on this year’s Tate Britain Commission. Since moving to London in 2015, he has made an exciting contribution to the contemporary British art scene with his experimental works which walk the line between painting, sculpture, architecture and performance,” Tate Britain Director Alex Farquharson said in a statement.
“Alvaro is interested in creating accessible artistic experiences and we are excited to see how he will transform the Duveen Galleries this year.”
Born in Venezuela, Barrington has Haitian and Grenadian roots and grew up between the Caribbean and Brooklyn, N.Y. Today, he lives and works in London and New York. Inspired by color, sound, his diverse geographic background, and a commitment to community, his practice explores migration, personal memory, popular culture, and art history. He mostly considers himself a painter, incorporates unconventional materials in his works, and expresses himself in all kinds of other engaging and inventive ways.
“Alvaro is interested in creating accessible artistic experiences and we are excited to see how he will transform the Duveen Galleries this year.”
— Tate Britain Director Alex Farquharson
Over the past decade, Barrington has participated in a variety of exhibition projects. MoMA PS1 in Queens, N.Y., organized his first solo museum show in 2017. “Alvaro Barrington: Spider the Pig, Pig the Spider” (2021) at South London Gallery was the artist’s first solo exhibition at a UK institution. His work is also featured in the traveling exhibition “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” (2023-25), which was organized by the Baltimore Museum of Art. Recent gallery shows have been presented at Karma Gallery and Nicola Vassell Gallery, both in New York.
Barrington’s Tate Britain installation will be his largest work to date. Contemporary artists who have previously taken on the Tate Britain Commission include Hew Locke (2022), Anthea Hamilton (2018), and Phyllida Barlow (2014).
“This commission is such a great opportunity, and I am incredibly honoured to create new work for the Duveen Galleries,” Barrington said in a statement. “My mind has been spinning since I first got invited to do it and I’m now counting down the days. Working on this large-scale project presented new opportunities to engage with more formats and mediums and I can’t wait to share the result.” CT
IMAGE: Above right, Alvaro Barrington at Tate Britain, 2024. | Photo © Tate (Jai Monaghan)
FIND MORE about Alvaro Barrington on Instagram
READ MORE Tate Britain commissioned British artist Keith Piper to make an artwork in response to a 1927 mural by Rex Whistler that features racist depictions of a Black mother and her son, installed in the museum’s now shuttered restaurant. “Viva Voce,” Piper’s film installation opened March 12 in the former dining space and is expected to be on view for about one year. Read more in the New York Times
ALVARO BARRINGTON, “Hibiscus, Satisfy Your Soul,” 2023 (oil, acrylic, pastel, enamel on burlap in corrugated steel and reclaimed wood frame, 284 x 225.5 x 14 cm / 111 ¾ x 88 ¾ x 5 ½ inches). | © Alvaro Barrington. Courtesy the Artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London. Photo by Katie Morrison
ALVARO BARRINGTON, “Wet Fete, Bathers, for Myself 2023,” 2023 (oil, acrylic, flashe and enamel paint on burlap in corrugated steel and reclaimed wood frame, 254.5 x 292 x 19 cm / 100 ¼ x 115 x 7 ½ inches). | © Alvaro Barrington. Courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London. Photo by Katie Morrison
ALVARO BARRINGTON, “The Garden, Stained Glass for Rodman, Oct 2023,” 2023 (stained glass, 241 x 184 x 20 cm / 94.88 x 72.44 x 7.87 inches). | © Alvaro Barrington, Courtesy the artist and Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, London · Paris · Salzburg · Seoul. Photo by Charles Duprat
ALVARO BARRINGTON, “Sweet Dreams are Made of Basketball,” 2021 (wool, hessian, wood, concrete, steel chain, basketball, plastic crate and other materials, 2610 × 1830 × 710 mm). | © Alvaro Barrington. Tate Collection, Photo © Tate (Madeleine Buddo and Joe Humphrys)
ALVARO BARRINGTON, Installation view of “Sweet Dreams are Made of Basketball,” 2021, Drug Culture: Vol ii. Trust your local
drug dealer, Emalin, London, June 4-July 17, 2021. | © Alvaro Barrington. Courtesy the artist and Emalin, London. Photo by Stephen James
ALVARO BARRINGTON, “Sound of the Islands, Disya,” 2022 (205 x 205 x 45 cm / 80 3/4 x 80 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches). | © Alvaro Barrington, Courtesy the artist and Emalin, London. Photo by Stephen James
ALVARO BARRINGTON, “Lady sing small @proud Mary bottom up,” 2022 (acrylic and yarn on burlap in wooden frame, broom dipped in concrete, 191 x 121 x 23 cm / 75.2 x 47.64 x 9.06 inches). | © Alvaro Barrington, Courtesy the artist and Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, London · Paris · Salzburg · Seoul. Photo by Ulrich Ghezzi
ALVARO BARRINGTON, Performance view of Notting Hill Carnival, London (Aug. 27-29, 2022). | © Alvaro Barrington. Courtesy the artist and Sadie Coles HQ, London. Photo by Timothy Spurr
BOOKSHELF
“The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” documents a major traveling exhibition, a group show that includes Alvaro Barrington. The recently published exhibition catalog appeared on Culture Type’s list of Best Black Art Books of 2023. Several gallery publications explore Barrington’s work. They are available through Thaddeus Ropac, Karma, Anton Kern, Blum, and Sadie Coles HQ.
